The Gospel: The Word of Truth
Read: Colossians 1:3-7 Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel. (v. 5) Paul usually began his letters with a word of thanks for the people to whom he was writing, and Colossians is no exception. But he always had a specific reason to be thankful, and in this […]
August Prayer Guide 2020
TURKEY — Give thanks with us that 11 new believers were baptized in our Turkish Director’s church. He writes, “I sense the desire to be physically and emotionally present with each other growing around me. I am grateful that more people than ever are tuning in to radio, T.V., and live streaming. It seems the longing […]
Dear You
Read: Colossians 1:1-2 To the saints . . . in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. (v. 2) Preachers and teachers often remind us of this when we delve into an epistle, but it bears repeating. What we have in Colossians is a letter, a piece of correspondence. But […]
Worthy Is the Lamb
Read: Revelation 7:9-17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd. (v. 17) The central figure in God’s story of salvation is a lamb. In Exodus, when God caused death to pass over Israel, the sign of salvation was the blood of a lamb. In Leviticus, when God’s people sinned […]
Under-shepherds
Read: 1 Peter 5:1-10 Shepherd the flock of God that is among you. (v. 2) During Jesus’ earthly ministry, he led a group of disciples he called his “little flock” (Luke 12:32). The disciples did indeed behave like sheep: they wandered into trouble, questioned his leadership and in Gethsemane abandoned him completely. After his resurrection, […]
The Good Shepherd
Read: John 10:11-18 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (v. 11) I used to work for a farmer. I worked long hours—often from sunrise to sunset. The work demanded my time, sweat, and (sometimes) blood. However, at the end of the day I left the work […]
Voice of the Shepherd
Read: John 10:1-10 The sheep follow him, for they know his voice. (v. 4) Throughout the Old Testament, God referred to his people’s human leaders as “shepherds.” On some occasions God condemned his people for wandering from their shepherds. On other occasions, God condemned his shepherds for misleading his flock. But God affirmed that each […]
The Shepherd’s Delight
Read: Luke 15:1-7 Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. (v. 6) When my children were younger, we had a pet hamster. This hamster was never content with her habitat, escaping whenever she could. On one occasion, she disappeared for several days. I considered her lost but then discovered her […]
Harassed and Helpless
Read: Micah 5:1-4; Matthew 9:35-38 He shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD. (Micah 5:4) As a 12-year-old I made my first solo train trip. I was traveling home from a visit with friends. I arrived at the train station—a maze of levels, corridors and platforms. I had my ticket […]